These roasted pesto vegetables are my favorite way to turn everyday veggies into something truly crave-worthy. A simple mix of seasonal vegetables is oven roasted until perfectly caramelized, then tossed with fragrant basil pesto for big flavor without heaviness. This is the kind of healthy side dish that feels comforting and indulgent, yet fits beautifully into a nutritious, low-calorie meal. If you’re looking for easy roasted vegetables with pesto that taste amazing without butter or cream, this one’s for you.
A side dish that goes with everything
- Roasting brings out natural sweetness while pesto adds bold, herby flavor
- Healthy and satisfying — no ultra-processed ingredients and naturally low in calories
- Flexible and customizable — perfect for using whatever vegetables you have
- Easy enough for weeknights, impressive enough for guests
- A delicious way to make vegetables exciting
Recipe video
Let’s dive into the recipe.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Pesto: You can use store-bought pesto or use one of the pesto recipes on the blog: spinach almond pesto, spicy red chili pesto with tomatoes, easy roasted red pepper pesto, roasted garlic pesto with cashews or Thai basil pesto.
- Vegetables: I love this recipe for its versatility and the opportunity it provides to add rainbow-colored veggies. Use any vegetables of your choice (except for leafy vegetables, of course!).
- Spices: Pesto flavors get a little lift in this recipe with a couple of ingredients like red pepper flakes (which is optional), black pepper and garlic powder. You can add more spices like onion powder and dried herbs like sage or rosemary.
- Oil: Use olive oil only if using homemade pesto from the above recipes. If you’re using store-bought pesto, it might have enough oil, so you don’t have to add extra oil.
How to make roasted vegetables with pesto
(You can find the exact measurements and instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this page. Here are step-by-step instructions with pictures to help you easily understand the recipe.)
Preheat the oven to 210°C/410°F.
Mix together in a small bowl: olive oil, red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt and garlic powder.
Add the mixture to the pesto and mix until combined.
Quarter the onions. Dice carrots, zucchini and eggplant into 1-inch cubes.
Chop the cauliflower into florets, about the same size as the other diced vegetables. Slice the bell pepper into strips.
Place the veggies in a large bowl and add the pesto seasoning. Toss the vegetables until all of them are coated with the seasoning.
Spread the vegetables on a sheet pan. Roast in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes into cooking.
The roasting time depends on the size of the diced vegetables. If they are not browned to your satisfaction, roast for 5 to 8 minutes more.
Garnish with chopped parsley or basil and serve.
What to pair with this Mediterranean roasted pesto vegetables
Chicken
- Baked chicken cutlets
- Honey garlic lemon pepper chicken
- Lemon garlic parmesan chicken skewers
- Baked panko chicken
Fish
Pasta
- Spicy harissa pasta
- Mushroom zucchini pasta
- Creamy veggie pasta
- Butter chicken pasta
- Tomato chili prawn pasta
Rice
Make it a healthy bowl recipe with a choice of grain and protein, with a sauce like sweet onion dressing, creamy roasted garlic sauce, or easy sun dried tomato dressing drizzled on top.
More roasted vegetable recipes
- Honey roasted sweet potatoes and carrots
- Rosemary roasted potatoes and broccoli
- Roasted carrots and green beans with almond topping
- Roasted marinated Brussels sprouts
- Balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts and carrots
Pesto Roasted Vegetables Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Seasoning
- ⅓ cup pesto (note 1)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil (note 2)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Vegetables
- 2 large onions
- ½ head of a medium-sized cauliflower
- 1 carrot
- 1 eggplant
- 1 zucchini
- 1 bell pepper
Garnish
- a handful of parsley or basil
STEP BY STEP IMAGES
Scroll back to find detailed recipe photos!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 210°C/410°F.
- Mix together in a small bowl: 2 teaspoons olive oil, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon garlic powder.
- Add the mixture to ⅓ cup pesto and mix until combined.
- Quarter 2 large onions. Dice 1 carrot, 1 eggplantand 1 zucchini into 1-inch cubes.
- Chop ½ head of a medium-sized cauliflower into florets, about the same size as the other diced vegetables. Slice 1 bell pepper into strips.
- Place the veggies in a large bowl and add the pesto seasoning. Toss the vegetables until all of them are coated with the seasoning.
- Spread the vegetables on a sheet pan. Roast in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes into cooking.
- Garnish with chopped parsley or basil and serve.
Video
Notes
- Pesto: You can use store-bought pesto or use one of the pesto recipes on the blog: spinach almond pesto, spicy red chili pesto with tomatoes, easy roasted red pepper pesto, roasted garlic pesto with cashews or Thai basil pesto.
- If you’re using store-bought pesto, it might have enough oil, so you don’t have to add extra oil.
- Quantity of vegetables: You can use any number of vegetables, provided they make up roughly 8 heaped cups.
- Seasoning the veggies: I recommend using your hands to toss the veggies with the pesto seasoning for the best results.
- The roasting time depends on the size of the diced vegetables. If they are not browned to your satisfaction, roast for 5 to 8 minutes more.
★★★★★Did you try this recipe? Please give a star rating in the comments below ★★★★★
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